Door for retort chambers



Nov. 24, 1931.

w. T. DAVIDSON noon FOR RETORT CHAMBERS Filed April 19, 1927 INVENTOR Patented Nov. 4 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM TREAT DAVIDSON, OF WARREN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY mun A8- SIGNMENTS,

IO STBUTHERS WELLS-TITUSVILLE CORPORATION, OF WARREN, PENN- SY LVAN IA, A CORFOBATION OF MARYLAND DOOR FOR RETORT CHAMBERS Application filed April 19,

My invention relatesto doors for retort chambers and the like, and particularly to meansfor supporting and operating said doors.

As hereinafter described, the invention is the door frame of a chamber.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved form of latching device for maintaining the door in a desired position.

.A further object of my invention is to provide an improved sealing device for the door and its frame.

Another object of my invention-is toprovide an improved means for alining the door with respect to a door frame.

Still another object of my invention is to simplify and improve generally the structure and operation of doors of various types.

7 One form which my invention may take is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevational view of door structure embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a view of the apparatus of Fig. 1, partially in plan and partially in section, but with the upper" guide member removed; Fig. 3- is a vertical sectional View of a portion of the apparatus of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus of Fig.2.

A door 4 is shown as mounted upon and cooperating with a door frame 5 that is riveted to a vulcanizing chamber 6. The door 4 is mounted for oscillatory movement upon a pivot bolt 7 that is supported in a bracket 8. The bracket 8 is connected to a shaft or hinge pin 9 in the manner shown more clearly in Fig. 3, the shaft 9 extending through the rear .end portions of the bracket 8. The openings in the bracket 8 through which the shaft 9 extend are of greater diameter than the shaft, so that the bracket can be angularly adjusted of rotative movement, with the against the stop 16, the lugs 18 will be be-' 1927.. Serial No. 185,061.

relative thereto, in a vertical plane, to insure that the door will be'properly alined with respect to the door frame. This adjustment is effected by means of set screws 10. These screws also permit of the doorbeing adjusted vertically on the shaft 9. After the door has been properly adjusted relative to the frame, Babb1tt,metal may be poured into the space between the bracket bearing and the shaft 9, as shown in Fig. 3. The ends of the shaft 9 are supported in thrust-bearings 11 and 12 and are carried by the door frame 5.

Two pairs of undercut or grooved ribs 13 are formed integrally with, or otherwise connected to the door 4, while guide brackets 14 and 15 are bolted to the edges of the door bracket 8 and have'their head portions 14 and 15 extending intothe grooves of the ribs 13, so that while the door ma have rotating movement on the pivot pin 7 it is held by said head portions against tilting. Studs 16 and 17 have .threaded connection with the door and serve to limit rotative movements of the door, through engagement with the guides 14 and 15, respectively.

The outer edge of the door 4 is provided with a series of radially extending and circumferentially spaced lugs 18 that are shown in the drawings as lying behind complemen- -tally-formed lugs 19 on the frame 5. The

lugs 18 are disengaged from the lugs 19 by giving the door 4 a slight rotative movement, in a manner to be hereinafter described, to bring the lugs 18 opposite the spaces or openings 20 between the lugs 19, thereby permitting the door 4 to be swung open. The stops-16 and 17 are so positioned that the stop 17 will engage the guide 15 and limit rotative movement of the door about its pivot 7 in counter-clockwise direction, so that lugs 18 will be positioned directly opposite to the spaces 20, while at the opposite extreme guide 14 hindzthe lugs 19. A considerable number of lugs18 and 19 is requiredto hold the door tightly against pressures developed within the chamber 6.

In order to releasably hold the door 4 against rotative movement, I provide a lockheld in alinement with the spaces in the door frame when the door is open, thereby preventing damage to the lugs in case the door is swung about its axis 9 to closed position, and also facilitating-the closing and 5 locking of the door. The latch 21 carries a stud 22 by means of which it can be conveniently swung on its pivot. r

A bracket 24 is secured to the door 4 and serves as a bearing for a shaft 25 .to which an operating lever 26 and a pinion 27 are rigidly connected. The pinion 27 meshes with a rack 28 of arcuate form that is se-.

cured to the frame 5. There is suflicient clearance between. the teeth of the pinion 7- 25 and the teeth of the rack bar 28 that the 4 door-4 may be freely swung about its hinge support. to permit such teeth to pass into and out of intermeshing engagement. If the latch 21 be thrown back to' release the bracket, arm 15. movement of the lever 26 to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, will move the door 4 in a counter-clockwise direct-ion about its pivot 7, to bring the door lugs 18 opposite to the openings 20. The door can then be swung about its hinge to expose the interior of the chamber 6, the lever 26 serving as a convenient handle to effect swinging movement.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the door frame 5 is provided with a gasket 30 (preferably of rubber) against which'the door 4 abuts, to provide a tight joint. The gasket 30 is provided with two inwardly. extending ribs 31 that are cut away along adjacent edges to produce a flaring effect and whose outer edges lie against the walls of a groove that is formed in the frame 5. The gasket is provided with a third rib or extended body portion 32 with which the door 4 has abutting engagement. The frame 5 has a series of openings 33 thatcommunicate with the oove in which the gasket 30 is contained, so that, in those cases wherein there is compression within the chamber 6, instead of a vaccum, the gasket 30 will be held tightly against the door 4 by the pressure within the chamber 6, such pressure acting against the ribs 31 and also tending to spread such ribs apart, thus increasing the effectiveness 50 of the seal. The degree of compression of the gasket will vary with the'pressure within the chamber 6, which is, of course, a desirable feature.

1 'In case the gasket 30 is to be employed 9 to preserve a vacuum instead of to permit the escape of ressure, its arrangement would be substantialiy the reverse of that shown in Figs. 2 and 4, or stated in another manner, the arrangement of the gasket in the door would be similar to its arrangement in the frame 5, and the door 4 would cor- .respond to the end portion of a chamber or to one of the guide members, a head portion on each extension fitting within one of the undercut guidemembers for directing said guide members in a given circular pathduring rotative movements of the door, and

maintaining said door against movement with respect to the bracket in a direction transversely of its plane, a stop member at the outer end of one guide member for limiting rotative movement of the door in one direction, and a latch at the outer end of the its other extreme position of rotative movement.

2. Door structure comprising a door frame, a hingedly-mounted bracket, means for vertically adjusting the bracket, a door mounted'on said bracket for rotative movement, a pair of guide members secured to said door at spaced points along aline con centric to the axis thereof, extensions on said bracket each mounted adjacent to one of said guide members, and inter-engaging means between each of said extensions and its guide member for directing said guide members in a'given circular path during rotative movements of the door, and maintaining said door against movement with respect to the bracket in adirection transversely of its plane. I

In testimony whereof I, the said WILLIAM TREAT DAvmsoN, have hereunto set m hand.

WILLIAM TREAT DAVID ON.

,other guide member for locking the door in 

